INDIANAPOLIS — More than half of the bollards installed at the Monon Trail crossing at 86th Street have already been hit by cars less than two weeks after they were installed.
”I don’t know how that happens,” said Connie Szabo Schmucker, holding up a battered and bent bollard that used to be along 86th Street before it was hit by a mystery driver.
Of the 13 installed at the intersection of 86th Street and the Monon crossing less than two weeks ago. Now, only four are still standing.
”To have that many hit and taken out is pretty disheartening and quite frankly I thought drivers would be a little bit better than that,” Szabo Schmucker said.
One cyclist we talked to even saw one of the bollards go down.
”She ran over that post, like the very first day,” said Terry Fletcher. “And was honking because there was somebody turning this way. It was crazy.”
As the advocacy director of Bicycle Garage Indy, Szabo Schmucker has been helping create this tactical urbanism project to help make the Monon crossing safer at 86th Street.
The tactical urbanism project added bollards around the crosswalks and sidewalks, rumble strips along the roadways and painting on the sidewalks.
Every cyclist we talked to called this intersection one of the most dangerous in the city.
”You could sit here and just watch people going through the red all the time,” said Fletcher.
”It’s just very difficult to walk if you are a pedestrian,” said David Tufino.
He was taking his kids on a bike ride along the Monon when FOX59/CBS4 talked to him. He said he would sometimes get off his bike to cross 86th Street to make sure he has as much control as possible.
Szabo Schmucker has done traffic and safety studies at the intersection before. She said data shows the biggest dangers aren’t speeding or changing lanes, but turning right at red lights. The entire intersection is a no-right-on-red zone but that is rarely followed. They’ve added additional street markings and the bollards in the hope drivers will pay more attention before turning.
”We’re hoping that by making the curves a little bit sharper, people will actually be more at a right angle when they turn so they’ll see if there are people in the intersection,” she said.
The tactical urbanism project was led by the Nora Alliance, Bicycle Garage Indy and dozens of volunteers. Thousands of dollars in local grants made the project possible.
It’s set to run through September. In about a month, Szabo Schmucker said they’ll begin a traffic and safety study with the new infrastructure. They’re waiting a month to give drivers and pedestrians time to get used to the new additions to the roads.
Szabo Schmucker said they plan to reinstall the bollards next Tuesday. Eight out of the nine that have been knocked down have been found. Out of those, eight are able to be reused. One of them has been damaged beyond repair.
Even with the fallen bollards, cyclists are happy to see something done.
”They did an incredible job,” Fletcher said.
”I’m happy to see something is being done since there have been so many fatalities up this way,” added Curt Jones, another cyclist out Friday morning.
On the south side of 86th Street, there is a reminder to every person passing by, a yellow wreath marking the spot where cyclist and Bicycle Garage Indy employee Frank Radaker was killed on his bike in 2021.
Radaker’s former coworker Szabo Schmucker hopes these changes will make the intersection safer and prevent any further fatalities.
If you know where the missing bollard is, Schmucker is asking for it to be returned to Bicycle Garage Indy.
